diff --git a/src/legacy/io/create_surface_elements.jl b/src/legacy/io/create_surface_elements.jl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2a4260
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/legacy/io/create_surface_elements.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+# This file is a part of JuliaFEM.
+# License is MIT: see https://github.com/JuliaFEM/AbaqusReader.jl/blob/master/LICENSE
+
+"""
+    element_mapping
+
+This mapping table contains information what node ids locally match
+each side of element.
+"""
+const element_mapping = Dict(
+    :Tet4 => Dict(
+        :S1 => (:Tri3, [1, 3, 2]),
+        :S2 => (:Tri3, [1, 2, 4]),
+        :S3 => (:Tri3, [2, 3, 4]),
+        :S4 => (:Tri3, [1, 4, 3])),
+    :Tet10 => Dict(
+        :S1 => (:Tri6, [1, 3, 2, 7, 6, 5]),
+        :S2 => (:Tri6, [1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 8]),
+        :S3 => (:Tri6, [2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 9]),
+        :S4 => (:Tri6, [1, 4, 3, 8, 10, 7])),
+    :Hex8 => Dict(
+        :S1 => (:Quad4, [1, 2, 3, 4]),
+        :S2 => (:Quad4, [5, 8, 7, 6]),
+        :S3 => (:Quad4, [1, 5, 6, 2]),
+        :S4 => (:Quad4, [2, 6, 7, 3]),
+        :S5 => (:Quad4, [3, 7, 8, 4]),
+        :S6 => (:Quad4, [4, 8, 5, 1])))
+
+""" Given element code, element side and global connectivity, determine boundary
+element. E.g. for Tet4 we have 4 sides S1..S4 and boundary element is of type Tri3.
+"""
+function create_surface_element(element_type::Symbol, element_side::Symbol,
+    element_connectivity::Vector{Int})
+
+    if !haskey(element_mapping, element_type)
+        error("Unable to find surface element for element of type ",
+              "$element_type for side $element_side, update element ",
+              "mapping table.")
+    end
+
+    if !haskey(element_mapping[element_type], element_side)
+        error("Unable to find child element side mapping for element ",
+              "of type $element_type for side $element_side, update ",
+              "element mapping table.")
+    end
+
+    surfel, surfel_lconn = element_mapping[element_type][element_side]
+    surfel_gconn = element_connectivity[surfel_lconn]
+    return surfel, surfel_gconn
+end
+
+"""
+    create_surface_elements(mesh, surface_name)
+
+Create surface elements for `surface` using mesh `mesh`.
+Mesh can be obtained by using `abaqus_read_mesh`.
+"""
+function create_surface_elements(mesh::Dict, surface_name::String)
+    surface = mesh["surface_sets"][surface_name]
+    elements = mesh["elements"]
+    eltypes = mesh["element_types"]
+    result = Tuple{Symbol, Vector{Int}}[]
+    for (elid, side) in surface
+        surface_element = create_surface_element(eltypes[elid], side, elements[elid])
+        push!(result, surface_element)
+    end
+    return result
+end